Manchester United goalkeeper, David De Gea has won the Premier League Golden Glove Award. The Spanish stopper won the award after keeping his 18th clean sheet of the season in the 0-0 draw against West Ham on Thursday night. The award is his first since he joined the Red Devils in 2011.
The award, which was first handed out in 2004-05, has seen six different winners since its inception. Joe Hart, then of Manchester City, and Petr Cech, with both Chelsea and Arsenal, are the career leaders with four Golden Gloves each. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has won the award three times. Thibaut Courtois, Wojciech Szczesny and Edwin Van Der Sar each took home the award once.
De Gea becomes the first Manchester United goalkeeper to win it since Van Der Sar in 2008-09, and the first Spain goalkeeper since Reina in 07-08. If he can keep another clean sheet against Watford on Sunday, he will be the best since Van Der Sar’s 21 in his victorious season.
Team-mate and fellow Spaniard Juan Mata, 30, took to Twitter to congratulate his compatriot and hailed him the “best in the world”.
De Gea has excelled this season in the Premier League, making 115 saves in his 37 appearances and conceding just 28 goals all season.
The Golden Glove award adds to De Gea’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and Manchester United’s Players’ Player of the Year awards he picked up at the club’s end of season awards at the beginning of May.
The Spanish stopper, 27, has won the Sir Matt Busby award four times, more than any other United player, after picking up 67 per cent of the fans’ votes this season.
Speaking after United’s draw last night, De Gea said: “It feels good, it is my first Golden Glove award. I am really happy for that.
“It means we defended well in this league, I am happy for me and happy for the team.
“It is for everyone, it is a team award, not just for the goalkeeper. It’s good for me but I am also happy for the team.”
Manager Jose Mourinho was also keen to sing De Gea’s praises as his side made sure of finishing second.
He said: “David has been terrific but the Golden Glove is about the team and not about somebody analysing the goalkeeper, and deciding this is the best goalkeeper of the Premier League.
“It is about clean sheets and they are about the team. Obviously, we are all very happy for David and it is a great team achievement.”
De Gea joined United from Atletico Madrid for around £19million to replace retiring legend Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford.
